MANITOWOC – GPS technology will aid city firefighter-paramedics in quickly responding to fires or medical emergencies while Police & Fire Commission members said Tuesday that fundraising will help maintain K-9 services using man’s “best friend.”

Chief Todd Blaser told the commission that when an EMS-fire call’s address previously was relayed by Joint Dispatch the battalion chief on duty would decide which of the city’s four stations would roll with ambulance and/or fire engine.

“Now, we’ve put that assignment into the hands of the computer,” Blaser told commission members.

Depending on the scope and number of emergencies, battalion chiefs will still coordinate personnel on their 24-hour shifts, call in off-duty Manitowoc personnel or work with neighboring fire departments for mutual aid.

Fire Station 1 is located downtown on Franklin Street while Station 2 is on North Eighth Street at Reed Avenue, Station 3 is on the west side on Dewey Street and Station 4 is on the north side on Fleetwood Drive.

Blaser said the boundaries between Stations 1 and 3 have been changed with the downtown personnel responding further south to Grand Avenue and east to 26th Street. He said Dewey Street’s coverage area includes commercial and industrial areas and the department will track calls to see how the change affects call volumes.

A personnel deployment change includes having the initial response to a building with automated fire alarm system limited to the engine unit from the particular district and Station 1’s ladder truck. The goal is to help reduce the number of personnel responding to a false alarm.

City ordinances are on the books that call for possible fines for excessive false alarms.

Blaser said the firefighters first on scene would quickly assess whether a broader response was necessary. A 911 call from a person reporting a fire in the building would continue to trigger an immediate response of three engines, ladder truck and ambulance.

With summer vacations, the chief said staffing can be a challenge and sometimes Station 2 is staffed with just two firefighter-paramedics. However, immediate backup from another station is always available when needed.

The Manitowoc Fire Department has 54 sworn officers, as well as Blaser and Deputy Chief Gregg Kadow, who served as interim chief following Bill Manis’ October retirement until the PFC selected Blaser as new chief in March. Blaser credited Kadow in helping to make a smooth transition.

Drug busts & more

Police Chief Tony Dick was pleased to see “a lot of dunking going on” at the city’s Fourth of July festivities with $254 raised toward support of the K-9 unit by people throwing three balls for a buck to get various civic officials wet, including the top cop.

Police want to raise some $100,000 for reoccurring and training costs, and eventually a new squad car and new dogs when Ulrich or Aik eventually retire.

Aik, pronounced “Ike,” is patrol officer Jeremy Weber’s regular partner from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. while fellow officer Jason Koenig and “Ully” are a team from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Both police dogs are purebred German Shepherds that are classified as dual-purpose K9s, meaning they are training in, but are not limited to:

• Tracking missing people and wanted criminal suspects.

• Searching for articles or evidence including weapons used in crimes.

• 180 assists of neighboring law enforcement agencies, including 84 school drug searches.

Dick said it takes about two years from birth until the dog is ready to enter law enforcement service at a cost of about $12,000. The average career is seven to nine years. Ully is 5 years old and with MPD for three years while Aik has been with the department four years.

The chief told commissioners the department is having a hard time filling crossing guard openings with a spate of retirements. Dick said the pay and benefits used to be higher. Current pay is $22.50 for working both before and after-school shifts, typically about an hour each.

He said the job is not physically demanding but guards can be exposed to harsh Wisconsin winter weather. For many crossing guards, it is a labor of love and gives them the opportunity to interact with students.

Dick is hoping to recruit enough reserves that people, many times retirees, not wanting to work both the pre-school and post-school shifts could work just one.